Iowa has now lost 10 of its last 11 against the Illini. The Hawkeyes drop to 12-4 overall and 2-3 in Big Ten play.
For the second straight game, Iowa dug itself into a huge hole and couldn't dig itself out.
Like their loss to Minnesota on Tuesday, the Hawkeyes stormed back to make things interesting late, but too many defensive miscues doomed them in a 75-69 loss at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday.
Tavion Banks led the way with 16 points and seven rebounds, while freshmen Tate Sage followed with 13. Star point guard Bennett Stirtz was held to just 12 points on 5 of 17 shooting. Iowa shot just 40 percent from the field and 31 percent from distance.
The defeat drops the Hawkeyes to 12-4 overall and 2-3 in Big Ten play.
FIRST HALF
Iowa began the game slowly, just as it did the last time Illinois visited Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes couldn't find any momentum offensively, but the story was the Fighting Illini's work in the paint. The undersized Iowa group struggled to keep Illinois from driving to the rim, and the Illini responded by jumping out to a 12-5 lead and forcing Ben McCollum to burn an early timeout.
Whatever McCollum said in the timeout worked - for Illinois. The Hawkeyes had no answers on either side of the floor, and the Illini lead was suddenly 15 points with over half of the period to play. A transition layup from Isaia Howard briefly gave Iowa a boost of momentum, but Illinois continued to have all the answers, and its lead stretched to 29-13 with 6:41 left in the first half.
Consecutive three pointers from Tate Sage, Kael Combs, and Bennett Stirtz brought life back into Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and the Hawkeyes found themselves down by just nine heading into the closing minutes of the frame. Iowa had chances to get closer, but missed several open looks from distance, allowing the Fighting Illini to carry a comfortable 35-24 lead into the break. The Hawkeyes closed the half with a 3:05 field goal drought, and made just one of their final seven shots.
Rebounding also played a pivotal role in the first half, as Illinois held a 21-13 advantage on the glass, converting five offensive rebounds into eight second chance points.
SECOND HALF
Iowa began the second half much better than it did the first, but the Illini were just better in the early going. Every time the Hawkeyes got a bucket, Illinois would always find an answer. Most of those responses came on easy driving layups, but a bad defensive switch led to a Tomislav Ivišić three-pointer.
The Fighting Illini came into this game as an average outside shooting team (34.8%), but they looked like the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors all afternoon, and it was because of some shaky Hawkeye defense. Illinois' length kept Iowa from disrupting any passes, and the Hawkeyes couldn't rotate fast enough, leading to a plethora of open Ilini triples.
This game seemed over for much of the second half, but like a true McCollum-coached team, Iowa didn't quit. Cooper Koch was a major reason why the Hawkeyes stayed close, scoring eight straight points to cut the Illinois lead to just eight points, 61-53, with 7:25 to play.
Iowa seemed poised to cut the lead down to a single possession when Andrej Stojakovic turned it over, but Tavion Banks' dunk attempt was too strong. A make would've blown the roof off Carver-Hawkeye Arena, but instead it led to an Illinois triple and a crowd silencer.
A late hook-and-hold foul call on the Illini made things interesting, but it was too little too late for Iowa, and Illinois escaped Iowa City with a victory.
UP NEXT
Now losers of two straight, Iowa will look to snap the skid when it visits No. 5 Purdue in West Lafayette on Wednesday. The Hawkeyes haven't won in Mackey Arena since 2016. Tip off is set for 5:30 p.m. CST on Big Ten Network.